Oracle has unveiled a Java and open source strategy extending some but not all of the existing efforts at Sun Microsystems.
Among the winners: Sun's HotSpot Java Virtual Machine, which will be integrated with the fast JRockit VM from BEA Systems; JavaFX, which should see an update by the summer; and Sun's Operations Center …

Killed Kenai? Thank god

That thing was bloody awful. Why on earth do all these tech companies think it's a good idea to recreate forum software from scratch every time?

Sun's main forums are pretty awful (but somewhat understandable since they're trying to maintain compatibility with the original mailling lists), Kenai was just a nightmare. I had to register on it for the now defunct Sun xVM Server project, and actively avoided using the site unless I had to.

There are dozens of really good, tried and tested forum programs out there. Creating a new one just diverts developer time from more useful features.

JavaFX?!?!?!

JavaFX!

The reason they are continuing with the "white elephant" of JavaFX is that (despite the way it is marketed as an RIA) it is *the way forward* for Java on the desktop. Look at it this way: JavaFX is to Swing what .NET/WPF is to Windows Forms-- long term it is a replacement, that ushers in a new way of developing desktop app UI (declarative instead of imperative, with built-in support for animations, effects, transforms, multimedia, etc). And it's not just about the desktop--JavaFX is also *the only* reasonable way forward for Java on mobile platforms--and that includes interactive TV and Bluray.

In other words, had they killed JavaFX, they might as well have declared their complete exit from all consumer segments of the market. And honestly, that would just be dumb, because they still make a decent chunk of money on licensing that stuff, and more importantly, there is a lot more money to be made yet.

It's actually kind of ironic that Java, for all its popularity in the enterprise today, actually started life in the consumer segment, being envisioned as a simple language for set-top boxes and other embedded devices.... yet many in the industry downplay the importance of this aspect of its success.